Boys, I was out in the spa just reflecting on things from today, and figured this formative event in most of our lives deserved it's own thread. I'm sure the NBA thread would do a decent job of containing the posts that are sure to come, but at the same time, this loss needs space. Space for discussion, theories, memories, shitposts, memes, and all the other ways some of us will handle the events of this morning. The NBA thread will move on with the requisite RUSS/TRAE/BOOK etc posts, and it should, so go there for NBA talk, and stay here if you wanna talk Kobe for the rest of time, or until Travis jihads this site. Anyway, here goes...
I'm sitting here trying to come up with a public loss that affected me like this, and I just can't. I'll always remember the Magic announcement, which felt like a death, but obviously wasn't. I think the closest thing I can come up with is that I imagine some people felt the same way when Princess DI was killed. A precocious global icon not without personal blemishes taken after the defining chapter of her life, but still far too soon. I remember taking B-rips at Cal when I heard, and it didn't really affect me. But clearly the Brits were devastated. I had spent the summer in England and remember being only slightly sad. Shocked at the suddenness, mostly. Michael Jackson or Elvis? Nah, too troubled. I assume the Kennedy Assassination was similar.
I remember watching Kobe airball those playoff 3's against the Jazz in my freshman dorms, but even then you sort of knew that wasn't going to last- he would only get better. The Lakers were such absolute shit for a few years there, it was nice to see them starting to return to the BIRTHRIGHT legacy I and everyone that followed them expected.
I'll remember the 15-1 playoff record, the helicopter flights back and forth to Eagle, CO, the phase where he really did shoot too much, and all the times I felt I knew him. His rapport with Chick, Stu, Sager, Marv, everyone. Just a flawed human, but one I kinda had to pull for on account of his jersey. Sports is weird, and no one is perfect, but watching him evolve into what he was becoming in LA and beyond was just a delight. He really seemed to be as good of a father as he was on the court, and that was really what hurts the most.
Which brings me to today. For about 3 hours this evening I was just a mess. I'm not sure why, but something about the way in which things ended just wrecks me. Did he know? Did he try to comfort his daughter? What, if anything, can prepare you, or any of us, for that moment when we are confronted with the futility of it all- when your whole plan for yourself and your child is erased? That's what has been the most difficult thing for me. Life is precious, and it can be taken in an instant. The timing with Lebron and some of the final tweets just add to the bizarre and fleeting nature of our lives. That's what is most jarring to me, most permanent.
At the same time, I'm trying to make sense of what I can, as a way to cope- stuff like the data seems to show the helicopter crashed on a downslope, which seems odd. Will be interesting to see what the investigation reveals, my hunch is that it clipped a pole or a tower or a wire and couldn't recover.
Anyway, this thread is for all things Kobe. Laker fans are the closest thing I have to a sports "fraternity", and I know a bunch of the true homies on here (@bruin @BasinBictory @Orlando @TrojanMan (apologies if I left anyone out) are going through similar stuff, so post away...
I'm sitting here trying to come up with a public loss that affected me like this, and I just can't. I'll always remember the Magic announcement, which felt like a death, but obviously wasn't. I think the closest thing I can come up with is that I imagine some people felt the same way when Princess DI was killed. A precocious global icon not without personal blemishes taken after the defining chapter of her life, but still far too soon. I remember taking B-rips at Cal when I heard, and it didn't really affect me. But clearly the Brits were devastated. I had spent the summer in England and remember being only slightly sad. Shocked at the suddenness, mostly. Michael Jackson or Elvis? Nah, too troubled. I assume the Kennedy Assassination was similar.
I remember watching Kobe airball those playoff 3's against the Jazz in my freshman dorms, but even then you sort of knew that wasn't going to last- he would only get better. The Lakers were such absolute shit for a few years there, it was nice to see them starting to return to the BIRTHRIGHT legacy I and everyone that followed them expected.
I'll remember the 15-1 playoff record, the helicopter flights back and forth to Eagle, CO, the phase where he really did shoot too much, and all the times I felt I knew him. His rapport with Chick, Stu, Sager, Marv, everyone. Just a flawed human, but one I kinda had to pull for on account of his jersey. Sports is weird, and no one is perfect, but watching him evolve into what he was becoming in LA and beyond was just a delight. He really seemed to be as good of a father as he was on the court, and that was really what hurts the most.
Which brings me to today. For about 3 hours this evening I was just a mess. I'm not sure why, but something about the way in which things ended just wrecks me. Did he know? Did he try to comfort his daughter? What, if anything, can prepare you, or any of us, for that moment when we are confronted with the futility of it all- when your whole plan for yourself and your child is erased? That's what has been the most difficult thing for me. Life is precious, and it can be taken in an instant. The timing with Lebron and some of the final tweets just add to the bizarre and fleeting nature of our lives. That's what is most jarring to me, most permanent.
At the same time, I'm trying to make sense of what I can, as a way to cope- stuff like the data seems to show the helicopter crashed on a downslope, which seems odd. Will be interesting to see what the investigation reveals, my hunch is that it clipped a pole or a tower or a wire and couldn't recover.
Anyway, this thread is for all things Kobe. Laker fans are the closest thing I have to a sports "fraternity", and I know a bunch of the true homies on here (@bruin @BasinBictory @Orlando @TrojanMan (apologies if I left anyone out) are going through similar stuff, so post away...
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